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Small amount of exercise can help kidney disease patients, says study

A modest amount of exercise may help reduce kidney disease patients’ risks of developing heart disease and infections, according to a study led by Loughborough University scientists.

Heart disease and infection are major complications and the leading causes of death in patients with chronic kidney disease. It is now well established that immune system dysfunction is involved in both of these pathological processes.

Specifically, impaired immune function predisposes to infection, while persistent immune activation leads to a state of chronic inflammation that can damage the insides of blood vessels and increase heart disease risk.

Physical exercise may confer benefits by exerting anti-inflammatory effects and enhancing immunity, but such effects have been largely unexplored in kidney disease.

João Viana, PhD, Nicolette Bishop, PhD (both from Loughborough University), and Alice Smith, PhD (University of Leicester) and their colleagues designed a study to explore the impact of exercise on a range of immune and inflammatory parameters in patients with chronic kidney disease.

This study has led to research that is now being undertaken by the Leicester-Loughborough Diet, Physical Activity & Lifestyle Biomedical Research Unit (BRU) – a research partnership between Loughborough University and University Hospitals Leicester investigating the role physical activity plays in managing and preventing chronic disease.

It will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), and has been published ahead of print.

In an acute exercise study conducted in 15 patients, 30 minutes of walking improved the responsiveness of immune cells called neutrophils to a bacterial challenge in the post-exercise period. It also induced a systemic anti-inflammatory environment in the body.

In a regular exercise study conducted in 20 patients, six months of regular walking (30 minutes per day, five times per week) reduced immune cell activation and markers of systemic inflammation, compared to another 20 patients who did not increase their usual activity levels over the same period of time.

“Thus, exercise exerts anti-inflammatory effects in patients with kidney disease and may in this way reduce their high risk for heart disease,” said Dr Viana.

“Our study also found no evidence that this level of exercise might be harmful to the immune system in people with kidney disease.”

Dr Bishop said: “These findings emphasise the health benefits for kidney patients of including just a relatively modest amount of exercise in their daily life.

“These findings are of credit to our long-term collaboration with the Leicester Kidney Exercise Team as we look forward to translating further high-quality research into patient practice with the long-term aim of establishing appropriate exercise prescription as part of the care package for all kidney patients.”

Notes for editors

Article reference number: 68

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It was awarded the coveted Sunday Times University of the Year title in 2008-09 and has been named Sports University of the Year 2013-14 by The Times and Sunday Times. Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and has been voted England's Best Student Experience for six years running in the Times Higher Education league. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

In 2015 the University will open an additional academic campus in London’s new innovation quarter. Loughborough University in London, based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, will offer postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities.